Mary Kay Kleist

Meteorologist Mary Kay Kleist has been a fixture on CBS News Chicago since 2002.

Since joining the station, Kleist became a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (2007), which is the industry's highest distinction. In addition to earning several local Emmy Awards at CBS News Chicago – including three Emmy Awards in 2015 for coverage of the April tornadoes, a severe weather special and best on-camera weather anchor – Kleist has been awarded an AMS Seal of Approval and an NWA Broadcasting Seal of Approval.

Kleist has been a meteorologist for print, radio and television broadcasts for more than 25 years. She first worked in Chicago from 1994-95 as a weather anchor for WGN-AM Radio and CLTV. However, she joined CBS2 Chicago from WXYZ-TV in Detroit, Michigan, where she had worked as a meteorologist since 1999, reporting weather for the station's weekend newscasts.

Prior to her work at WXYZ-TV, Kleist worked in Tampa, Florida (1995-99), as the meteorologist for WFLA-TV. There, she also reported the weather for The Tampa Tribune, the local edition of CNN Headline News and served as weather anchor at WFLA-AM Radio.

Kleist began her career at WJCL-TV in Savannah, Georgia (1992-94), where she worked as the weekend weather anchor, a health and general assignment reporter, news anchor, photographer, editor, as well as anchor of the local edition of CNN Headline News.

Kleist graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Central Florida in 1992 with a B.A. in Radio and Television, and later graduated from the Broadcast Meteorology Program at Mississippi State University.